Electromagnetically movable figure toy



May 4, 1954 H. HERMA-N 2,677,214

ELECTROMAGNETICALLY MOVABLE FIGURE TOY Fil'ed'Marh 26, 1951 Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE ELECTROMAGNETICALLY MOVABLE FIGURE TOY 1 claim. l

This invention relates to toy railways and includes a toy freight car or mail car and railway stations, the railway having means for picking up an article from the stations by the car, when desired by the operator, and means for discharging an article from the car at a railway station automatically in predetermined manner.

A further object is to provide a toy railway adapted to pick up an article by a railway car when passing a station and to discharge the article at another railway station; whether the article is picked up or discharged by the car at a station, or the station passed without any operation taking place is wholly under control of the operator.

A further object is to provide a toy railway of simple and inexpensive construction adapted to pick up and discharge articles along its right of way. With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, dened in the claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this disclosure and wherein:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a portion of a toy railway in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through Fig. 1 approximately on the line 2 2.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View of the toy railway.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a railway station, a agman at the station being denoted in broken lines, and,

Fig. 5 is a side view of the station partly in section.

In the instant structure I provide wheel bearing rails I, I that may have any length desired or be arranged to more or less describe a circle as the right of way, in a conventional manner.

Arranged between the wheel bearing rails are the insulated conductor rails 2, 2 co-extensive with the said rails I, I. The toy car 3 of more or less conventional appearance is desirably provided with decorative windows 4 and with a car step 5. The car is provided with two trucks l each provided with wheels 8 that ride upon the wheel bearing rails I, I. The car may be provided with conventional spring propelling means, not here shown, the spring means being operated in conventional manner to cause movement of the car along the rails, or the car may be provided with a locomotive of the spring propelled type for moving the car. Another means of propelling the car which would often be desirable when small children amuse themselves with the railway would be accomplished by attaching a cord or string to the drawbar 9 of the car and pulling it along the track. In this way the speed of the car is denitely controlled and stops can be made as desired.

suitably secured to the floor or frame structure of the car by a bracket Ill and hangers I I are the collector shoes I2 that ride upon the rails 2, 2, said shoes connected by conductors I3 to the electromagnet I4 secured inside the car at a car window or like opening. Connected to the rails 2, 2 are the conductors I5, I6 that lead to the switch block I'i provided with terminals for said conductors. Also arranged in said car is a permanent magnet I8 adjacent the said electromagnet at an opening in the car wall. Arranged upon the railway right of way are one or more stations I9 each having a platform 20 and platform steps 2 I, said platform being on a level with the aforesaid step 5. Arranged within the station is an electromagnet 22 and a permanent magnet 23, said electromagnet connected by conductors 24, 25 to the said switch block I'I.

A switch 26 of switch block I1 is adapted for selectively closing the circuit from an electrical source 2l through conductors I5, I6 to the electromagnet I4 in the car 3 or from said source through the conductors 24, 25 to the station electromagnet 22. Simulating a railway conductor or brakeman is the toy figure 28 of iron or-other magnetic material which may be placed upon the step 5, adjacent an opening in the car wall, said toy being held in position by the electromagnet and/or the permanent magnet I8. When the car moves past the station with its electromagnet I4 de-energized, the switch 26 closing the circuit to the station electromagnet 22 at that time, the electromagnet 22 and permanent magnet 23 being energized will cause the toy brakeman 28 to leave the car and light upon the station platform. When the car passes a station, the toy figure 28 being upon the platform, the station electromagnet de-energized and the car electromagnet energized, the iigure will be attracted by the car magnets and caused to move from the platform to the step 5 of the car.

With several stations arranged along the right of way the switches 26 may be so set as to cause ligure toys 28 to act in predetermined manner automatically, that is, to leave the car step for the platform or vice versa. The railway system may be provided with one block, or with two or more blocks forming a block system, each block having a station I9 and switch control means. The switch control means in one block adapted to be set to cause a toy 28 to alight upon the platform from the car While in the next block a gure, upon platform 20, could be caused to move therefrom to the car step 5. Varying movements of the figures 28 at diierent points along the right of way would add interest to the operation of the toy railway.

What is claimed is:

In combinationwith a toy railwaycar Vmovable on a trackand a platform adjacent said track, the provision of an electromagnet mounted in said car, an electromagnet mounted on said platform, a permanent magnet mountedinsaid car, a permanent magnet mounted on said platform,

said magnets in said car having their magnetic 1 poles in approximately the same verticalcplane and upon that side of the canadjacentsad platform, said magnets on said platform Vhaving their Cil magnetic poles in substantially the same vertical plane and in inwardly spaced relation to that edge of the platform adjacent said track, a step extending from said car toward said platform and in the same plane as said platform, and a toy figure of magnetically attractive material adapted to be selectively supported on said platform and said step by said permanent magnets and: selectively movable f from: step. .to platform and^`p1atform to 'step by fs'aidelectromagnets.

References Cited in the le of this patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 987.9750 .f Broughton et al. Mar. 28, 1911 1,386,856 Forslund Aug. 9, 1921 '11i-749,603 -Phe1ps Mar. 4, 1930 

